Safeguard
by rileytown
Summary: AU, Riley/Lucas. Riley Matthews has devoted her life to the showing the world the truth as a successful journalist. When Riley's life is threatened, she relies on Lucas Friar, NYPD detective to help her find whoever threatening her life. He finally has something worth protecting, and he's not prepared to lose her.
1. Chapter 1: Threat

Safeguard

 **A/N:** Oh. My. God. I can't believe I am doing this, because I have so many things I should be doing, but I literally just sputtered out like 5000 words onto this page and now we're here. I have Ice Princess still on the go, as well as two other works that I should try to work on, but this was necessary - I think.

A few things to know:

\- This story was inspired by the Bones and Eye Candy television series, so their might be small elements of both you may recognize. Maybe.

\- Everyone is aged between 27-29

\- Lucas never moved to New York when he was in 7th grade, Riley never got to learn from him and her life was severely altered by this event. Changes lead their course and brought these characters here, to this point.

\- Riley is a journalist, while Lucas is an NYPD defective, both are single

\- Joshua Matthews is Riley's older brother and Lucas's partner

That's about all you need to know before diving into this story. Please enjoy!

 **Summary:** AU, Riley/Lucas. Riley Matthews has devoted her life to the showing the world the truth as a successful journalist. But when Riley's life is threatened, she relies on Lucas Friar, NYPD detective to help her find whoever threatening her life. He finally has something worth protecting, and he's not prepared to lose her.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Girl Meets World. This is a fictional story meant for entertainment purposes.

 **Chapter 1:** Threat

"Are you sure about this one, Riles," Farkle Minkus said turning to her from his position at the steering wheel in their large white van. Their very own mystery machine. With a company logo and everything.

The two of them sat, parked lurking in front of Senator James Eaton's mansion.

"The people need to know what he's been doing," Riley insisted, her eyes travelling across the wide landscape. It was still early in the morning, before ten, and the sky was the bluest it had been all summer. They were far from the centre of the city and parked out where a lot of the more expensive houses in the city were. These houses likely went for upwards of ten million dollars.

"But you're ruining a man's career in the process," Farkle added.

"Don't back out on me now, Farkle. We both agreed that we have to defend the people when it comes to a man like Senator Eaton." None of the messy stuff mattered to Riley if it meant withholding the truth from so many people. It was the main reason Riley took the position at the studio - so that she could show the raw, real, honest truth. She didn't want people to be lied to and she certainly didn't want to be one of those people.

"She's right," Isadora Smackle added. Riley and Farkle turned around in their seats, finding the other girl perched up handling the camera in the back of the van. "We took an oath."

"Yeah, and Riley wrote it out on a napkin," he countered frowning.

"It's on paper, we signed, and now we are small scale vigilantes."

"I wouldn't call it that, but sure. We serve and educate, it's the next best thing."

"You ready?" Riley asked Izzy, flipping down the sun visor and examining her makeup in the small mirror. She added a touch of lip gloss and flipped her curly brunette hair back.

"Camera is ready as soon as we step out of the van. Now, remember once we're recording, we're live and the police will probably be notified, so we always have that risk. Just get to your point quickly in case they show up." Izzy looked back down at her massive camera, lifting it onto her shoulder.

Farkle looked down at the clock. "Mr. Eaton should be coming back from his morning walk with his dog any minute. We had sources who spotted him leaving his house about forty minutes ago."

"You have the feed ready, Farkle? I can't wait to see his face when he realizes we've got live footage of him dumping oil and hazardous waste into the Atlantic."

"I can't believe the network approved this," Farkle sat back in his seat, pulling out his all terrain monitor that they would display as soon as they got a good visual on the Senator and had his attention.

"Neither can I, actually. But the new management has been really pushing for this one," Riley replied.

"Must be good television, high ratings," Isadora intercepted.

"The government is going to get involved soon. They won't risk having their own heads on the line if they know we're getting so close to them," Farkle said.

"Yeah, well that will just confirm everything we already know," Riley said.

"You still get a high off all those conspiracies, don't you?"

"I am _pleased_ when I know I've found out the truth," she corrected, sitting forward in her seat. "There he is," she pointed.

"It's show time," Izzy said from the back seat, sliding open the back door.

Riley opened up her own door and Farkle followed her from the other side of the van, as the two of them walked up to the Senator. Riley's slick white blouse and navy blue dress pants, put the Senator's outfit to shame.

"Senator Eaton? Can we have a word?" Riley asked approaching the man in his track suit.

The man stopped in his tracks, startled by the advance, but just as quick his expression changed to anger.

"Are you serious? I'm walking my damn dog, don't you people have lives?" the Senator growled, while Riley flashed a small smile back at the camera to make sure it was on. Izzy gave her a thumbs up, and suddenly Riley was in ultra sleuth mode.

"This will only take a minute," Riley promised. Before the Senator had time to make a comment, Riley jumped back in. "I'm Riley Matthews from the New York daily News, I'm here with Senator James Eaton in front of his house in New York City this morning," she introduced, her microphone held at her lips. Motioning to the Senator, Riley continued. "The press has recently been focusing on your next Senatorial election, and there is much speculation that you are going to be very successful in your campaign resulting in another term."

"Yes," the Senator agreed. "I've got quite the team working at all hours of the day."

Riley smiled her million dollar smile. "The poll results have been rising at an alarming rate, it nearly appears that you might win by a landslide."

"It's all the people," he confirmed. "Without the votes from the people this election could take a drastic turn."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right. Some of the people seem to be buying your campaign focus on the environment and establishing a more progressive ecosystem for something that can be so vulnerable."

The Senator narrowed his eyes, and waited for Riley to get to her point. She lifted her finger into the air, signalling for Farkle to show the clip. "New York Eagle has visual evidence as well as documentation with your signature approving big oil companies to dump hazardous waste into our rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. In exchange for the approval of these companies, you get their investments and their votes."

"Well-" His eyes still lingered on the playing footage as the colour drained from his face.

"The evidence is not pointing in your favour Mr. Senator," Riley added. "Phone records reveal that you have been communicating with these companies for more than three years."

Riley waited for him to comment, but he seemed frozen in place.

"Do you have any comment or defence in your honour, Mr. Eaton, we are running live as we speak. Many of the people want to know if your plans for the election will change at all now that your secret has been revealed."

James Eaton looked back up into the camera, his grip tightening on his dog's lease laughing his knuckles to whiten. Riley held the microphone closer to his mouth and waited for him to speak.

"Yes," he replied confidently. Riley narrowed her eyes in anticipation. "As of today, I will be stepping down from the upcoming election, and declaring my retirement."

Riley's eyes widened in mock surprise.

"Did you get that, Don?" Riley signalled back to the main studio. "Senator James Eaton will be stepping down for the upcoming election, finishing his six year term in office. This has been Riley Matthews, thanks for watching."

The recording light turned off, and Riley took a step away from the older man, watching him retreat back to the gate of his own house.

Riley have Farkle and excited look, her eyes glimmering from the excitement. "Did you see that? We got him!" she cheered.

"I hope you got what you were looking for Ms. Matthews," a grumbled voice called from beyond the fence, grasping the attention of all of them. The man looked utterly destroyed, but the dog ran around free. "You're building quite the career for yourself in the line of journalism. But just know that none of this is easy, and there are a lot of temptations. You might not understand that now, but it always comes. I ain't the only one in this line of duty and I sure as hell won't be the last. One of these times, you aren't going to get away with ruining a man's life."

Riley ignored the ex-Senator as she walked back to the van, and slide into her seat, pondering on the success of her most recent interview and the threat that followed.

* * *

Lucas groaned as the tone of the phone rang through his ears and he placed the receiver back on the switch hook, massaging his temples. His mind physical ached from the conversation he had just had with one of the New York State Judge's assistants. It was amazing how frustrated he could get with the law, even when he was the one who was enforcing it. All he needed was a warrant for a house arrest, and the assistant assured him that the judge could not hear his case, because it wasn't relevant and he didn't have enough evidence.

What did she know about evidence anyways.

Sighing, Lucas decided he was in desperate need of a cup of burning hot coffee. Even though it was only ten in the morning, the last three days of ten hour shift had been killer, and lately, work had been quite intense.

He went across the hall to the lunch room, praying that a fresh pot of coffee had just finished brewing, and no one would interrupt him before he got there. Silence and peace were hard to come by these days, especially working at a police department.

He was still half asleep anyways, so he didn't notice his old partner sitting at the table flipping through the morning newspaper. At least, not until he was finished pouring his coffee and halfway out the door.

"You just gonna ignore me now man?" Zay shouted at Lucas, causing him to jolt in surprise. Lucas turned around with an angry frown and glare in Zay's direction. "You really didn't see me did you?"

Lucas shrugged. "I'm still half asleep, and it's been a long week."

"I've been waiting like twenty minutes for you to come get your coffee. You usually get it earlier."

Lucas finally lightened up, grinning at his best friend. "You miss me, buddy?"

"I'll tell'ya what I miss," Zay stood up, crossing the lunch room to pour himself a cup of hot coffee. "I miss cruising around downtown in our sick patrol Impala, defendin' the law, intimidatin' New Yorkers. You just had to go and get yourself promoted."

"How did you even get yourself onto this floor? You're supposed to be on the third floor," Lucas asked curiously.

"Yeah, with all the rest of them regular officers. You're a 2nd Grade Detective now, working on the fifth floor with the better technology. You've even got a new uniform. I just had to make sure you're still the Lucas I know."

"And take our coffee," Lucas added amused.

"The coffee downstairs is crap," Zay defended.

Lucas chuckled. "I remember."

"Well, I've got my coffee, got my morning paper," Zay showed Lucas the rolled up paper. "Nothing else left for me here."

This time Lucas actually laughed at his best friend's theatrics.

"I miss you too, buddy." He patted his back while he walked through the doorway, and back towards the elevator.

Lucas walked back to his desk, leaning back in his rolling chair and observing the office. It was all still relatively new to him. Not the building, but the floor itself. He was still meeting new people on his floor every day and it had only been two weeks since his promotion. Before that Lucas had been aiming for detective status for years, working his ass off, taking extra cases and doing anything to prove his worth. It must have paid off in the end, because a month ago the Sergeant had approached him about a position opening up with one of the other detectives, and Lucas didn't even have to think twice about the job offer. It was everything he had ever worked for.

"Hey new guy," an irritatingly familiar voice called from the other side of his desk. Lucas looked up to see the floor secretary, Missy Bradford, scoping out the territory. The brunette had grasped the attention of many of the male detectives as she stood in front of Lucas.

"They still calling me that? I've been here for a few weeks now."

"They are," she grinned, taking a seat on his desk, showing off her well toned legs as her skirt rose up, as well as covering up a few of his notes. "It will stick until the next one comes along."

"And do you prey on all of the new guys?" he asked, raising an eye brow. She was annoying, but Lucas still enjoyed the game.

"Just the cute ones," she promised.

He nodded, returning to his morning newspaper while Missy fiddled around with this name card, perched on his desk.

"Sergeant Hunter sent over these case files, he said to look into them before you start questioning people," Missy finally said after deciding she was bored, getting to the point of her visit.

"Thanks Missy."

"No problem," she smiled wickedly, giving him a small wave, goodbye, while he a numerous others watched her hips sway as she left the vicinity.

Lucas had caught onto the order of things in his new office fairly quickly. One of his best traits was his adaptability. He'd grown up in Texas on a small farm and moved to New York when he was a teenager. It wasn't his first rodeo.

And while Lucas missed his time spent preventing crimes on the streets of New York, he had enjoyed his time as a detective so far. He got along with his new partner, and the other detectives in the office here had only shown him support and kindness.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Lucas's partner groaned from the front of the office and grabbing his attention. Josh had his arms folded across his chest observing upwards at a monitor hanging from the wall. He took a step back, watching the television.

"What is it?" Lucas asked, crossing the distance from his desk and the television, while the rest of the detectives seemed to ignore Josh. He expected to see the regular new broadcast, a burglary or theft, but instead a young brunette filled the screen as well as an older man.

The television was playing the Channel 10 News, and a breaking News sequence passed over the bottom of the screen. _Senator Conspiracy Conquered._ Lucas narrowed his eyes and turned to Josh, not entirely understanding why Josh was upset.

Josh turned up the sound on the screen and Riley's voice filled their ears. "Senator James Eaton will be stepping down for the upcoming election, finishing his six year term in office. This has been Riley Matthews, thanks for watching." She was fit physically for the job, Lucas noted. She had beautiful facial structure, and her hair blew perfectly in the wind.

"Matthews?" Lucas asked, still confused. "Are you two related?"

"She's my sister, and she's an idiot," Josh dismissed, pressing the mute button once again.

"She's a journalist, doesn't she just report the news. How does that make her an idiot? Isn't that how it works?"

"Not with Riley," Josh walked back to his desk. "Riley finds the people and makes it news. Do you remember last year when there was that Make a Difference Scandal? With that charity and when all those celebrities were in town for that huge fundraiser? Well a lot of money was raised and no one ever saw and heard anything about it afterwords. Riley was the one who cracked that scandal that one of the major investors was using the money for himself."

"That was your sister?" Lucas asked wide eyed. Everyone had heard about that incident. The scandal went national and took up months of the courts time. "She saved like a hundred thousand sick children in East Africa."

"Yeah, she's crazy smart, has this sixth sense for telling when someone has lied to her, or something. But she gets herself wedged into these peoples lives and it's been a threat to her safety more than once."

Lucas had more than a few questions about the girl.

"You've never mentioned her before."

"Never came up," Josh defended, flipping through a case file. "We've only been partners for a few weeks."

Lucas knew when to keep quiet. Josh liked to keep his personal life personal, and Lucas could respect that. From what he could tell, Josh had been through significantly more than he had, and had been a detective far longer than him.

* * *

Riley had returned to her office later that morning and many of her co-workers had congratulated her on the successful story and broadcast. Word was the clip of Riley unmasking the Senator was travelling across the country online, as millions of people were viewing her video.

Her success recently had been growing and growing, and she was being recognized by many people.

Fridays were usually quieter in the office, so Riley figured she would be able to work well that afternoon, with little to no distraction.

What Riley didn't expect was to see Maya Hart sitting in her office which has usually locked. Not that Riley minded or anything, but it had been locked.

"Maya?" Riley questioned, watching the blonde remove her feet from the resting position they had on her desk. "How did you get in here?" Maya smile and stood up embracing her into a hug.

"Doesn't matter," Maya shrugged off Riley's question. Riley looked around her office, everything was just how she left it. When Riley had agreed to the position, she originally had a cubical in the man office, but with many successful interviews under her belt, she'd been upgraded to her own office.

"Well what are you doing here? Did you want to go for lunch? I have a few calls to make, but I can meet you in half an hour," she offered.

"That's not why I am here, honey," Maya said softly, letting Riley sit down at her desk.

"Okay, why are you here?" Maya took a seat in the client chairs on the opposite side of Riley's desk and leaned forward.

"I got your message about the Senator and I watched the interview," Maya explained.

"Yeah, I was a bit surprised we went through with it, but a tip came up this morning and we had all the evidence-"

"Do you honestly believe doing that interview was a good idea?" Maya interrupted, her eyes wide in fear. Suddenly Riley was much more aware of her best friend's distress. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"It was just an interview, Maya."

"It's never just an interview, Riley. If you were an entertainment journalist, then it would just be an interview. But you're butting heads with politicians, governments across the globe, Senators, CEO's of major companies, people with a lot of money and a lot of people behind them."

"I know who I'm getting into bed with, peaches," Riley said calmly.

"I don't think you do, not everyone is a good person and if you keep this up, one of these times someone isn't going to cooperate with your game. They are going to anticipate your move and remove you."

"Remove me?" Riley questioned.

"Have you killed," she rephrased. She didn't like the way that sounded out loud. Neither of them did.

Riley sank down in her seat. "I knew what it meant," she muttered.

"You've done a lot of good in this world, pulling out the bad guys in thousand dollar suits and knocking them behind bars, Riley. The New York is a better city because of you. But I think it's time to hang up the cape."

"If I don't do this who else-

"They will find someone else," Maya promised.

Riley sat in silence, while Maya observed her. She swivelled in her chair, trying to come up with a rebuttal that would convince Maya that she wasn't in any danger. When she looked up at the clock, she noticed it was almost noon.

"How about we go get some lunch?" Riley offered, giving Maya a pleasant smile.

Maya sighed, and gave her a small nod. "Lunch sounds good." They had argued about this before, and odds are it wouldn't be the last time they argued about it either. But Maya had to hope that the more she bugged Riley about it, the deeper it would be engraved on her brain, and hoped that she would figure out soon that putting her life on the line wasn't an option anymore. There were far too many people who cared about Riley, far to many people who wanted more than that for her.

Riley picked up her purse off the floor and followed Maya out of her office, locking the door behind her.

Riley knew Maya was just looking out for her, and she was grateful for it, but a world that struck back at Riley seemed nearly impossible.

She had nothing to worry about.

Riley led Maya out of the office and onto the street side walk which was buzzing from the lunch rush. A small potted tree and a canopy over the building entrance offered fro protection from the sun while Riley put on her sunglasses.

"What did you want for lunch?" Maya asked.

"There is a nice new place about a ten minute drive from here. I went with Farkle and Isadora last week. They've got some really great lunch specials," Riley offered.

"I'm good with that," Maya agreed.

"I'll hail us a cab then."

She stepped just past the parked cars and the parking meters to look for an unoccupied taxi, sticking her hand up into the air, trying to grab the attention of any cab driver.

"Are you sure you don't want to walk?" Maya asked from the side walk. "It's a really nice day."

"No, it's too far," Riley looked back at Maya. "I have to be back at 1 for a meeting, and I'd miss it if we walked."

She tapped her foot impatiently, and finally spotted a taxi, she began to wave her hand higher in the air.

But just as she turned back to smile at Maya, the sheer force of a large vehicle flung her backwards onto the sidewalk causing her to scream out in pain before hitting her head against the concrete. Pedestrians ran to her to help, as Maya stood their in shock watching her best friend lie on the ground.

Finally Maya found her voice, and she knelt down in front of the fallen girl, who was still breathing, but in an unconscious state.

"Someone call 911," she shouted at the top of her lungs, caressing Riley's head. "Someone call 911!"

* * *

When Josh received the call that Riley had been involved in an accident, the air in the office immediately altered, and suddenly Lucas was very afraid to step on his toes. But Josh had requested that Lucas join him in investigating the arresting officer who had been first to the scene. Lucas had never met Riley, but he now felt that he had missed out on a great human being, and hoped that she was okay.

They were both relieved to see that there was no blood left on the scene, hoping that it meant Riley was not hurt too badly.

The two of them gathered intel from the officer about what had happened, before proceeding to go to the hospital.

Something about hospitals irked him, while he followed closely behind Josh walking through the halls. Josh's pace sped up as soon as he spotted a blonde woman sitting in a chair in the hall alone.

"Maya?" Josh placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, waking her up, her eyes jolting open wide, but her entire body relaxed in seeing Josh.

"Where is she?" Josh said firmly, sitting down next to the blonde.

"They had her in surgery for about an hour and now she's in recovery. Josh, you should have seen it, the vehicle came out of no where. She was just hailing a cab. S-She," Maya tried to keep talking.

"Hey," he hushed her, pulled her body towards him. "She's fine now. Everything is okay. Don't worry." He placed his lips on her forehead, his arms holding the small blonde tightly. "You're safe." Lucas obsersved them from the other side of the hall.

It was amazing that there was so much about a person he didn't know. Especially when he had been working so closely with him for the past two weeks.

Lucas had shared aspects of his own life with Detective Matthews, but it hadn't actually occurred to Lucas that it hadn't worked the other way.

He noticed the diamond ring on Maya's left hand, and realized who the girl was and what she meant to Josh. Something about Josh's reaction to the girl was enough proof for Lucas to know that this girl was normally very put together.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't…" she tried to say.

"Shhh," he hushed. "I need you to be strong for a bit, while I go talk to Riley. She's awake, right?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't heard anything from the doctor," she replied.

"I'll go check then," he assured. "You should go rest, go back to work, and close up. Don't worry about Riley." Josh gave her a sweet kiss and bid her goodbye.

"Luke," Josh summoned him, "Do you mind calling the office, tell them what's happened. I'll be right back and I'm going to need you to come in with me. Riley might remember something that could help us find that guy who hit her."

"No problem." Lucas swore, staring at his partner. Josh nodded, but narrowed his eyes when Lucas still hadn't moved.

"Why aren't you moving?" he asked.

"I didn't know you were married," Lucas looked back at Maya, who was already walking out the front door.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Josh assured. "But I'm sure you'll catch on."

* * *

"Hey sis," Josh gave Riley a weak smile, while Riley tried her best to return it. He stepped through the door, and Lucas followed him in. It took her a moment to realize that she didn't know the other man and she had never seen him before.

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Riley said stiffly, towards Lucas. Lucas froze in his place, in fear of being caught staring at her.

"This is Detective Lucas Friar, he's my new partner," Josh introduced.

She shifted in her bed uncomfortably, with all the IV tubes and her broken collar bone, it wasn't an easy task.

"Well Lucas, I hope you're up to the task, it's not an easy position to fill," Riley muttered. Her smile wasn't quite sincere but her eyes alone made it obvious that the fresh break still hurt. Josh didn't have anything to say abut the topic and quickly moved closer to her to examine her injuries.

"Did they give you enough painkiller? That looks sore," Josh commented, sitting down in the chair beside her bed.

"I'm fine," Riley promised, wincing in spite of herself. "A little pain never hurt anyone. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right Josh. You always say that."

"I didn't mean to go an get yourself hit by a car, Riles."

"Well I didn't mean to either. That damn car came out of no where," she swore, trying to make sense of the few memories she still had.

"The driver fled the scene," Lucas spoke up and began listing off the facts from his note pad. "Bystanders confirmed that the driver took off just as fast as he hit you. Large black SUV, tinted windows. No one can give us a description of the driver,"

Riley bit at her lip, knowing in her heart exactly what those facts meant.

"You know what this means Riley," Josh told her. He was thinking exactly what she was, neither of them willing to say the words out loud.

Her actions had finally caught up with her.

"I warned you about all of this. You can't go around the country revealing peoples biggest secrets without expecting retaliation."

"Oh shut up, this was my choice and I'll pay the consequences. What ever happens, happens."

Josh stood up and shook his head, obviously disagreeing. He never once approved of her job and what she did. "And what about the rest of us. Mom, Dad, Auggie? This effects the rest of us too. What about Nick?"

Riley froze. "Don't," Riley hissed. "Don't you dare bring Nick into this." Lucas saw that the argument was becoming more personal and dismissed himself from the room, closing the door behind him.

"It doesn't matter, if you're just going to run around like your life doesn't matter, than none of this matters."

"Can you stop? My head is pounding right now."

"That would be the concussion," he deadpanned. "Do you have any idea how stupid all of this is? Or how much worse this incident could have been."

Riley bit her lip to keep the tears from shedding, she hated arguing with her brother, especially when it came to sensitive topics.

"Did you call mom and dad?" she whispered. She suddenly felt years younger, and she wished that she was still living at home, with her parents down the hall.

"I did. They'll be here in an hour," Josh promised. She just nodded, rolling over to the other side of her hospital bed, looking out the small window she had in her private room. The day was still beautiful, with a few white clouds floating above her vast city.

"I've got to get back to work," Josh said sadly looking down at his watch, hating to see his baby sister in so much pain. She wasn't a kid anymore, but lately, he felt that it was becoming harder and harder to protect her. "Let me know when they are releasing you and I'll come pick you up."

"I will," she whispered.

But the only thing that was passing through her mind, was one thing.

Had she gone too far? Had she finally come face to face with the wrong person? Were people retaliating?

She closed her eyes and let the pain killers work their magic, slipping into a dreamless slumber.

Riley woke up to the sound of the door clicking shut. The sun was starting to descend into the horizon and she turned slowly and uncomfortably over in her bed. It must have been a nurse or the doctor, because the room was empty.

Riley reached to the stand beside her bed, to grab her cell phone.

' _Went back to the shop to close up. I'll be back at 7'_ a text from Maya read. Riley sent a quick reply, and released a large breath as she sank back into the pillows.

How had she gotten into this mess, she wondered as she looked around the very clean white room. Her eyes stopped on a small white card, sitting on her side table.

Reaching over, with her left hand, opposite of her broken collar bone, she held the card in her hand and flipped it open.

No greeting. No signature. Just a message.

 _Watch your back._

 **A/N: What did you think? Is it worth continuing?**


	2. Chapter 2: Determination

**A/N:** I know this took longer than any of us would have preferred, but I'm really trying to finish Ice Princess before I really get into this story. I hope this will keep you going for a while. Thanks for all the amazing support for this story. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Girl Meets World

 **Chapter 2:** Determination

Sitting at the kitchen table in her apartment, Riley stared at the small white card, trying to analyze everything about it. Which to admit, didn't take much time; it was only two by three inches and the font was generic Times New Roman. Plain and simple. Small and clean. Even a professional specialized in writing styles and techniques, wouldn't be able to tell her anything about the origin of this threat.

Beside her were a pile of unread morning newspapers from around the country headlining her most recent success. Normally, she would enjoy the pleasure of a win, sip from a glass of white wine, maybe even watch a romantic comedy if she was in the mood. But this time it felt different. Not just the heaviness of the sling holding her collarbone in place, or the pain medication the doctor prescribed, not even the pulsing ache of her head as she waited for the piercing to dissipate.

This time it was the hollow feeling that she had in some way been violated.

With her free hand, she pushed back the hair that had fallen into her face and watched Maya run around her kitchen preparing dinner and then back to Josh who had been running in and out of her loft apartment with boxes of groceries.

The hospital had kept Riley under observation for the night to make sure that her concussion was stable and allow for a brief recovery. It had only been a few hours since her doctor gave her the approval to leave on the strict order of bed rest and both Josh and Maya had come to pick her up.

Still, there she was, perched at the dining room table, her eyes fighting to stay open. Neither of her two house guests were aware of the small piece of paper that sat in front of her, haunting her every thought. And that was the way things were going to stay until she knew more.

"Hey Riles," Maya called from the kitchen island where she had her arms allow deep into the sink. The loud sound of Maya's voice felt ten times louder than normal. "Are you feeling up to some soup?" she asked.

Riley slid the paper into her navy blue sweater pocket, and turned to her best friend.

She didn't even have to consider it. "Your soup?" Riley asked. "Always. I hope it's a big pot."

Maya smiled to herself and Riley stood up carefully and slowly, walking across the open concept floor.

"I called your office this morning and explained everything that happened," Maya said stirring the liquid in the pot. Taking a seat at one of the bar stools, Riley rested the arm which wasn't kept in a sling on the counter to hold up her heavy head.

"You didn't have to do that. I was just going to call in and make today a sick day," Riley dismissed.

Maya released an audible sigh, and just as quick Riley knew that they were about to argue, so she felt the need to explain herself.

"The office is crazy busy, even on the weekends. When I miss a day of just emails and phone calls alone, it pushes me back half a week with everything I need to respond to and review. Plus I am nothing without my laptop. The office will still be open for a while, maybe we can go get it," Riley said looking down and squinting at her watch.

Maya tried to collect her patience to deal with the work infused brunette.

"This isn't just a sick say for you, Riley," Maya began, pointing the wooden spoon at Riley. "You were hit by a damn car. An SUV. You have head trauma and a broken collar bone. You are drugged up so high I feel like you are looking right through me. You are not okay and this is not just a sick day."

"I know," Riley said quietly, slightly ashamed by Maya's tone.

"Do you?" Maya asked. "The doctor said bed rest and you're acting it's a normal day for you."

"I know it's not a normal day, but can't I just try and pretend like nothing has changed," Riley asked.

Maya began shaking her head slowly with her lips pursed. "Today is not normal, and pretending that it is would just be foolish."

"Is the soup almost ready?" Riley asked, changing the subject, her eyes wandering around the room.

"Five more minutes," Maya said quietly watching the restless brunette.

* * *

Finishing with delivering groceries to his sister, Joshua Matthews drove back to the precinct to grab a few files so that he could work on them and still monitor Riley. He was getting slightly annoyed by all of the questions he was getting about Riley, since the news had gone around that she was involved in an accident.

"Hey Luke!" Josh called to the only detective who hadn't asked about Riley, and walked over to his desk. The young detective was knee high in work since Josh had taken the day off, and Josh almost felt bad the the other man was stuck indoors doing paper work for the day.

Lucas looked up from his computer monitor and turned to his partner.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking the rest of the day off, and possibly tomorrow as well," Josh informed.

"I know," Lucas nodded. "Hunter told me."

Josh looked back at the Sergeant's office and saw saw the man on the phone.

"Oh, okay. Well are you going to be fine on your own today? I can get one of the other detectives to give you a hand with the workload if you want."

Lucas smiled to himself.

"Don't worry about me, just go home to your wife and sister and be with family," Lucas said, remembering the sight of the two beautiful young women from the previous day. Both girls stunning in their own way.

"Thanks Luke," Josh said trying to give his partner a small smile.

Josh began to make his way back to his own desk and filled the rest of his brown cardboard box with the remaining case files. His eyes skimmed across Riley's file and he sighed, remembering the ongoing investigation.

"Lucas?" Josh asked again, hating the sound of his on voice asking for a favour.

Lucas just looked up at him in acknowledgment.

"Do you think you could look into my sister's file again and see if we missed anything," he asked.

"Already on it," Lucas replied, quickly typing on his computer. "I've got some surveillance footage from Riley's office and the entrance of her building at work as well coming in today. I'll call you if there is any advancement."

"Thanks man. I wouldn't usually ask for a favour but this is Riley and-"

"Don't worry about it, Josh. I've got your back," Lucas said, cutting Josh off.

Lucas could tell that Josh was uncomfortable about the situation, and even though they hadn't known each other than long, he still felt bad for his partner. Everything about the situation was grey, instead of the usual black and white. It was messy and Lucas couldn't help but feel bad for Josh's younger sister who had gotten herself into a bad situation.

After a few moments, Lucas watched Josh leave the office towards the elevator, leaving him feeling a little bit less like he was walking on broken glass. He opened up his email, and clicked on the email he had received earlier that day from the security desk at New York Daily News, revealing two attached surveillance videos. He opened the documents and began to to press play.

The first video was from a camera placed in a large office room, which he presumed was the room outside of Riley's office and when he took a closer look he could see the outline of Riley sitting at her desk through the glass windows between her office and the main offices.

The thing about watching surveillance videos was that it was a long and boring process, and it required a lot of patience and a keen eye.

Lucas wasn't really sure what he was looking for, which didn't help the situation at all. And there wasn't any sound to go along with the already uneventful videos.

After about half an hour of watching, Lucas put down his pen. There was only so much he could take of watching surveillance at a time, he needed a coffee break. He leaned backwards in his chair, stretching his arms into the air and releasing a yawn as he looked about his office for a distraction.

A flicker of light caught his attention and he looked back at the computer monitor. Lucas paused the video, Riley appeared to be on the phone with someone, and she was standing up so her white blouse caught the attention of the camera. He rewinded the video a minute and pressed play again, watching Riley reach for the phone as it rang and her reaction to the call.

It was clear that she was upset as she stood up from her seat, her face became angry as she listened to whoever was talking on the other side of the line. Soon her expression changed from angry to sad and fearful. Lucas didn't know what was happening but he knew one thing for certain, someone had upset the young brunette, someone had hurt her deep down and in that moment he wondered if there was more to the story than even Josh was letting on.

The only way he would know was to question the journalist herself.

The call was suspicious, but Lucas still knew that none of the story was adding up.

He knew the facts of the case; Riley was in her office that morning from 8am until 9:30, when she went with two other people who appeared to be technicians. From that time until 11am Riley was with a Farkle Minkus and Isadora Smackle, who had been confirmed to be the technicians filming her latest broadcast which was aired live for the entire country to watch. Riley returned to her office to find a friend, who Lucas now knew to be Maya Matthews where they had a heated discussion until 12pm when they decided to leave for lunch. At exactly 12:20 the ambulance arrived on the scene.

The only way anyone would have been able to know when Riley was leaving the building again to know when to hit her with the car would be if they knew her schedule perfectly. Or even better someone had been watching her as well.

Lucas leaned back in his chair once again, and looked out the window on the opposite wall to see the city outside.

Someone had been watching Riley. But for how long? And how exactly? Through the surveillance? Was there a bug somewhere in the office? Or perhaps a mole somewhere working alongside Riley this entire time. What ever it was, Lucas was going to get to the bottom of all of this.

His mind drifted back to the image of Riley lying on the bed in the hospital, only an hour before seeing her on the news for the first time. She was a beautiful young woman, and yet when she lied on the bed helpless and teary eyed, Lucas couldn't help but feel some sort of desire of protect her. Like an instinct.

Riley was hurting and he going to do everything in his power to make sure that never happened again.

He was going to help her. And he was going to put whoever this creep was who had been stalking Riley behind bars.

* * *

Joshua Matthews walked into his sister's apartment finding Maya in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes. The young blonde looked utterly exhausted in her blue overalls and white t-shirt which were covered in small splatters of paint. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, a few fly aways carving her face. Josh placed the box full of case files on the counter and smiled sadly at his wife who had yet to acknowledge his presence in the room.

He saw her stop scrubbing, putting her hands against the counter expecting to see her turn around and smile back at him, but she just stood in place, bringing a hand to her face.

Furrowing his brows in confusion, the officer walked around the centre island counter and put a hand on her arm. Maya froze in surprise, then turned instantly to see Josh.

She had a stream of tears running down her face, breaking his heart.

"Hey," he whispered soothingly, wiping away the tears of her face. "What happened sweet girl?"

Maya just wrapped her arms around her husband, letting him hold onto her and comfort her. It surprised Josh to see Maya acting this way, since she used to be so uptight about her emotions, but lately with Maya things had been much looser. With Riley running around awol half the time, neither of them quite knew what was going to happen.

Maya was tough, but sometimes she didn't have to be.

"I'm sorry," Maya whispered, sniffling against his navy blue NYPD shirt. "It's just been a long few days."

"I know," he replied, resting his head on top of hers and rubbing his hand up and down her back. "I wish we were back in Italy going to museums and on wine tours." Josh remembered their honeymoon which they had put off for over a year but had finally gotten to last month.

"Me too," she agreed, pulling her head back, letting Josh kiss her lightly on the forehead. "All that art, I was so inspired. Maybe someday we can go back."

"I would love that," Josh grinned down at Maya who now had a small smile on her face again. He led her over to the living room and pulled her onto his lap sitting on the brown leather chair. "How is she?" he asked looking over his shoulder to Riley's bedroom.

Maya snuggled into the crook of Josh's neck, resting her eyes for a moment. The light from the window shone onto them and the sun warmed their skin. "Avoiding confrontation as usual. She won't even admit that something is wrong. She wanted me to bring her back to work so we could grab her laptop." That didn't surprise him.

"That's Riley for you. Don't worry, I think she's still in shock. Soon it'll settle in and she's really going to need us then."

"Well for now we'll just be baby-sitting the poor girl. I made her some of my soup and she's been sleeping like a baby for a hour now."

"Just what the doctor ordered," Josh said, a small smile on his face. Gosh he was the luckiest man in the world, having such a beautiful, talented and creative wife. Maya truly was the woman of his dreams, and after growing up together, she was definitely his best friend. There wasn't another person in the world he could imagine spending the rest of his life with.

The couple just sat and enjoyed each others presence. Life was far to short not to enjoy the small moments.

Josh wasn't sure who much time had passed when Maya finally spoke up again.

"Josh?" she asked.

"Mmhmm?" he mumbled.

"I want to have a baby," Maya whispered.

If he had been drinking water or eating food, he would have choked. Instead his eyes popped wide open, and then his brows rose in confusion. Neither of them had ever brought up the subject of a family. Not for any particular reason, it just hadn't come up and neither of them really wanted to change anything.

"You what?" he asked.

"I-I want a baby," Maya said, louder this time.

Josh was speechless, he figured it would happen eventually, them having a family. It was everything he ever dreamed of. But sitting here now, all of the words in his vocabulary just seemed to disappear and he sat there looking like a fool.

"Josh?" Maya asked again. "What do you think? Please say something."

Maya's plea brought him out of his limbo trance, and he gave her the warmest of smiles, which suddenly calmed her beating heart.

"I always thought I would be the one having to convince you to have a family," he finally said.

Maya let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and cupped her husbands chin in her hands.

"You did?"

"I just know how you are, and I mean, are you sure? You want to have a baby?"

"Yes. And I can't explain why. I just love you so much and I know we're already a family, you and me, but I want a little more."

Josh leaned forward capturing Maya lips against his.

"I want that too," he whispered. "I want that so much. I love you so much." Maya smiled against his lips, losing herself in him.

* * *

Riley stared up at the ceiling in her bed, the pain medication just beginning to wear off a she once again began to contemplate life. She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping, part of her couldn't even force her head to turn just to see her alarm clock.

She was so stiff and tired, even though she'd been sleeping for such a long time already. It must have been at least 7 at night, because when Riley looked down towards the window, she saw the sun just beginning to set over the buildings and the beauty of the red and orange sky.

She knew she had a lot on her mind, and much more important things to be worrying about at the moment, but what was five more minutes or pretending the world was just as typical as it always was?

Riley stood up slowly, walking over to her window and watching the sun set, letting the simplicity overcome her. She stepped back to the small chair she had sitting in her room, meant exactly for these moments of enjoying the cityscape or reading a good book.

She truly missed her simpler life. Her life before she grew up.

Riley sat down in the chair, realizing it was a lot of effort now to stand up for extended periods of time with pain pulsing through her veins.

Looking towards the small shelf she had next to the chair holding all of her favourite books that she had collected over the years, Riley leaned to grab _The Great Gatsby_ which she has read numerous times but curl never quite get enough of. Flipping open the pages, she skimmed the book trying to pick a place to start.

But then she froze, turning her head back to the shelf and finding a single white rose lying against the third shelf.

Almost certain it hadn't been there before she came in her room, she looked back at the door, which was open a crack. She could hear the sound of the television playing in the other room, which meant that Josh and Maya were still there.

She picked up the rose and found another white note waiting beneath it. Hesitant, she leaned to grab for it, and flipped it over in her fingers, immediately wishing she hadn't looked at it at all.

 _A toast to your innocence. My greatest condolences._

Riley's fingers traced the paper, as he mind pondered in disbelief. Where had this come from. She looked around the room, not entirely sure for what. Her heart beat rapidly, as she looked back at the rose, feeling nauseous just looking at it.

Who was doing this to her? Who was making her feel this way? What did they want?

Riley walked over the her vanity and grabbed her phone, dialling the number of the one person she knew would be able to help her, one of the few people she was certain she could still trust.

"Hello?" the caller answered.

"Farkle?"

* * *

Back in the living room, Maya was falling asleep on Josh's shoulder while Josh watched the news when his phone rang in his pocket. Maya stirred in her sleep, while Josh shifted to maneuver the phone from his pocket without disturbing her.

The caller ID showed as his partner.

"Friar?" he asked confused. "It's getting late, why are you calling?"

On the other side of the line, Lucas walked around Riley's office, and stepped out the door for privacy. "I got a warrant for your sister's office. I was looking through some of the surveillance videos from yesterday and I had a hunch that there was something going on there. The guys are in there right now."

Lucas looked back at the office which was being torn apart by the forensics department, looking left, right, and centre for fingerprints, bugs, and fishy activity.

"Normally, I might get pissed, but this is Riley, so have they found anything yet?"

"There was a bug in the office. Of of the squints found it hidden on the underside of her desk. Someone has been listening in her conversations indefinitely." The thought of someone following his sister so closely made Josh sick to his stomach.

"Shit," Josh hissed, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head.

"I don't know if we'll find anything else while we're here, but just to be safe, we're going to double check."

Josh sighed, looking back to Riley's room, where she sleep unbeknownst to the world attacking her. He couldn't let her get hurt anymore. Maybe she had gotten herself into this mess, but no one and especially not someone as good as Riley deserved to be haunted like this.

"Do whatever needs to be done," Josh said, looking down to his wife, and pushing back some of the hair that was falling into her face. He wasn't going to let anyone else hurt his family ever again. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"We've got to question her, man. She might know something and not even realize it."

"You're right. But I just don't know when she'll be up to that."

"Understandable. I just think that she might be in more danger than anyone realizes."

"Me too," Josh agreed, just as someone began knocking on the front door.

"I've got to go. But keep me updated. I know you have the next few days off, so I can take over tomorrow. Have a good break."

"I can come in to help tomorrow if you want." Josh stood up and began walking to the front door of the apartment.

"That's not necessary. You've done enough already. Riley probably won't be up to interrogation for the next few days anyways."

"Sure. Goodnight, Josh.:

"Goodnight," Josh said staring at the door, listening to the tapping continue against the door.

Opening the door, he found two familiar faces smiling guiltily at him.

"Minkus? Smackle?" Josh asked. "What are doing here?"

Farkle pushed himself around the taller man, holding his laptop case in one hand. Isadora stayed on the other side of the door and smiled politely. "Riley asked us here," Farkle explained, knowing exactly where he had to go.

"She's asleep. I'm sure whatever illegal activity you've got prepared can wait until the morning," Josh crossed his arms firmly.

"You being a cop doesn't scare me," Farkle eyed Josh. "And everything we do is inside the law, we just know how to look outside the box."

"Not what I want to hear right now," Josh went to cover his ears.

Josh looked back at Maya who was now frowning at their latest guests, and stood up, walking next to her husband, wrapping a blanket around her.

"Sorry to wake you," he apologized.

"No," Maya shook her head, curiously. "It's fine, I was just resting my eyes anyways. What's going on here."

"They say Riley called them," he explained, wondering why they were lying and why they were actually in Riley's apartment.

"We're not lying, man," Farkle frowned, already setting up his laptop at the kitchen table, typing rapidly.

Smackle waved to Maya and allowed herself into the apartment, taking a seat next to Farkle, the two of them analyzing the information like the geniuses they were.

"You can't just let yourself into the apartment. This is a bad time guys, you need to leave," Josh said, standing up for his sisters integrity.

"They stay," Riley said, stepping into the living room from her bedroom, gaining everyones attention. "And I did call them."

Everyone was uncomfortable, when the young brunette who was usually so put together and always did well hiding her emotions and fears crossed the distance to the table, hugging her body in the large blue sweater. Now, Riley looked utterly scared and no one knew how to react.

Riley slid the two white notes that she had received in the last two days across the table to Farkle and Isadora and waited for their reactions.

 **A/N:** Looks like Lucas is fond of our favourite brunette. What did you think of this chapter? Happy (early) Valentines Day! :)


	3. Chapter 3: Blindsided

**Notes:** My life has been a series of messy messes, to say the least these last few months. Life has become complicated and I have found time to write in the most inconvenient of times when I just feel like crap. I'm sorry that this took so long, and I'm sorry I didn't want to give any of you who messaged me false timelines to when I would be updating. I have been so so so busy with college right now, not to mention my own personal issues. But thank you to all who took the time to message me about Ice Princess or Safeguard or Iridescence, I am working on them.

Please enjoy the next chapter of, Safeguard.

 **Chapter 3** : Blindsided

Riley stood across the kitchen table watching her family and friends crowd around the two cards. Their reactions were all mixed, as Riley tried to take in all of them. Maya gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. Farkle stared at the cards, as he spaced out, unable to fully comprehend the severity of the threats. Smackle was the first to look up at Riley, and exhibit fear on her behalf. Josh's face became angry.

"How long have you had these?" Josh growled, picking up both papers off the table and waving them in the air.

For the first time, tears spiked at Riley's eyes, and she just shook her head pushing them back.

"Riley, I swear, this is serious and I need to know how long you've had these. Are there anymore?" Josh yelled.

His raised voice made her feel small, and she stepped back, protecting her collarbone with her good arm by instinct.

"I got the first one yesterday, but the second one came just now. While I was sleeping, I woke up and found it on my book shelf."

"That one was in your room?" Maya asked disgusted. "There was someone in your room?"

"I-I… I don't know," Riley shuttered. "I don't know what is going on, okay. I don't have the answers here."

The room quieted down as everyone froze, looking at Riley, seeing the terrified girl.

"Riles," Maya tried to sooth the girl, walking around the table, but Riley took a step back flinching, her eyes landing on the floor. It was as if the people she trusted most seemed to be making her nerves stand, and she suddenly didn't know who could make her feel safe once again. "Come on, Riles," Maya whispered, "help us to understand this mess so we can help you."

"No," she shook her head. "You can't help me now. I called Farkle and Izzy because they can actually help me. I need you to stay out of this one. Both of you."

Maya and Josh exchanged a worried look.

"Maybe-" Josh was interrupted, lifting a hand to his sister cautiously.

"I'm serious Josh. Just go home. I won't ask again," Riley hissed, taking the other seat next to Farkle, directing her attention to the laptop.

Riley ignored the two people she loved most, as they packed up their belongings and left the room without a word. She knew that her words might have hurt them, but it was nothing compared to the danger they were at risk of. The door slammed shut and Riley released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

Before continuing, Farkle looked up at Riley who stared blankly at his computer screen. "Josh might have been able to help us, Riley. He is a cop."

Something in Riley shifted, as she acknowledged his words, looking towards both Farkle and Izzy. "I know," she agreed, "but I've put the both of them in enough danger as it is, I want to leave them out of this as long as possible."

"Are you sure-"

"Do you have an issues with this Farkle? Izzy? Because just say the word and both of you can leave as well. I don't want to be putting anyone in danger let alone two of my oldest friends. I do however need help from someone and you two are the smartest people I know. Just say the word and you can leave. If you feel at all uncomfortable please, just say so."

Neither of them spoke a word.

"So it's settled then. We get to work."

* * *

Lucas unlocked his apartment door after a long day's work. He had just worked five ridiculously long shifts, and he was shocked more than anything how his body was still in a mere haze between the states of total alertness and total exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep for the next week to be completely revitalized.

His last few weeks had been busy adapting to a new department and lifestyle, but so far he didn't think he regretted it. Things were just different, life was just different.

With the door swinging open, his large Bernese Mountain Dog, Hurc jumped up against his legs.

"Hey Hurc," Lucas greeted, setting down his take out from Ardens on the table next to the door and bending down to the dog's level. The three year old black furred dog had patches of orange red and a white stomach and nearly pushed Lucas over. "Did ya miss me?" Lucas cooed, fluffing the dog's ears.

Wagging his tail the dog began licking his hands, while Lucas smiled at the familiarity.

"Come on," Lucas called, standing up finally closing the door behind him and walking further into his apartment.

Everything Lucas had ever known had been in Texas; he family, his upbringing, his lifestyle, his friends - everything. So when had decided to move everything he had known to New York, his expectations that it would be a simple move, were severely misguided. He missed the small things - the smell of the ranch early in the morning, the sounds of the grass waving in the wind as grasshoppers chirped in the background, the calmness of the summer nights, and the easiness of Texas law.

But even with his purest of intentions, when Zay had initially said that he was moving across the country to become a New York police officer, there was no way he was leaving his lifelong friend to fend for himself. The only thing tying himself down was his parents and younger sister. Everything else could be easily sacrificed for a change in lifestyle.

Regardless, things change and new goals emerged. Lucas had then been exposed to the crimes of New York and he knew that his skills should be used elsewhere, thus emerged the desire to become a second grade detective and become more of an individual than he ever had before.

So there he was, paying monthly rent on an old apartment in the centre of New York City, living on his own, waiting for what ever was supposed to happen next in his life.

Lucas pressed the channel guide on his television sifting through the different programs, while Hurc sat on the couch beside him. After such a long day, this was his typical evening, eating take out and watching what ever the nightly television drama was.

A loud knock on the front door of the apartment started both Lucas and Hurc, who shot up straight releasing two loud barks in return of the knocks.

"Who's there?" Lucas hushed to his curious dog, while standing up to investigate.

He looked through the small portal in the door, revealing Josh with his arms crossed while he looked distantly down the hallway. The detective finally opened the door, uncertain of what conversation he was about to have.

"Hey, can I come in?" Josh asked immediately before Lucas could get a word in.

"Uhm, sure?" he answered, although his voice lingered like a question.

Josh walked past time, sitting Hurc follow him curiously behind to Lucas's small kitchen, where Josh finally stopped, leaning against the counter to collect his own thoughts.

"I don't remember telling you where I live," Lucas finally said after observing his partner.

"I called Hunter and he checked your file," Josh explained, his eyes wandering the apartment before finding themselves back on the observant Lucas. Lucas was uncertain about whether or not he should be the one to pry, or to wait awkwardly for the man across his room. Signing, Josh continued. "I know this is bad timing. Trust me, I wouldn't be here it things hadn't escalated to where they are now. But there has been some advancement in my sisters case and I need to talk to you about this."

Lucas nodded, opening the refrigerator, grabbing two cold beers off the middle shelf, and handing one of them to his partner. "I told you I was here to help," he replied. "Tell me what I can do."

"I was just at Riley's place," Josh began, twisting the cap off the beer and placing it on the counter. "Maya had spent the entire day there while I was in and out, running around. Damn it, I should have been there," Josh cursed.

Lucas furrowed his brows, leaning forward in anticipation, uncertain of which direction the story was about to lead.

"Riley slept and rested for most of the afternoon, but she was restless, no doubt. While she was sleeping and sometime between when Maya and I were leaning and watched the television, someone was in her apartment, watching her, taking notes, leaving notes, whatever. The point is, this threat of Riley being hit by the SUV is legitimate. Someone is not only trying to harm her, they are stalking her. They know everything about her and we know nothing about who this sick bastard is."

Lucas tried to follow along, listening to Josh, taking in the details and memorizing them.

He had a million questions. Starting with Riley and how she was doing. Was he hurt even more than the last time he saw her? Had he harmed her in a more emotionally traumatic way? Those ways were harder to come back from. They hurt and Lucas would never wish that upon anyone.

After a moment, Lucas looked back up at Josh, who was staring off into space.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"Well you're neutral," Josh started, "so you don't know anything about Riley, I think that will be an asset. You can remain unbiased. The rest of us can't do that. I need you to take the reigns on this case and do whatever needs to be done. I need you to question and interrogate Riley and everyone else who comes along. Everything about this is under your care. Can you do that? If you can't, I need to know so I can start looking for someone else to handle this. It's very sensitive, I think you can understand that."

"Of course. And I'll do it. I want to help."

* * *

For Riley, life was complicated, but she tried to make it as simple as possible. She tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, and she tried to see the best in people, but after years of being exposed to selfish, ignorant people, she just couldn't help but have a tarnished view on the the world.

Josh showed up at her door at eight o'clock that morning, freshly baked blueberry muffins in hand in a brown paper bag from the Ukrainian bakery down the street and an obviously unwilling and uncomfortable smile on his face.

They were both uncomfortable.

"What are y-"

"Go shower and get dressed. I'm taking you to the precinct," he demanded. Prepared for any protest, Josh walked through her door, dropping the muffins on the counter.

Riley's eyes widened in surprise watching her older brother claim his territory. She had not taken into account his demands.

"Josh-" she began to argue, but he cut her off.

"Riley, I am not going to say it again. This is serious and I am opening an investigation. My partner is going to question you and we are going to find whoever this is."

She blinked twice.

"You know why I want you out of this," she said softly, just cracking the surface of her doubts and fears about the situation.

"I know you have good intentions. But this isn't just about you anymore. And I need to not only make sure that you are safe, but everyone else too. I am not going to sit back and watch my little sister wait for harm to come to her while you drown emotionally. We are going to figure this out together, got it?"

She stared at him, willing herself not to succumb to his pleas, but desperately wanting to reach out to him at the same time. The two of them had been through so much together.

"Okay," she nodded after a minute.

"Good, now get ready and we'll get to work."

* * *

Riley had mastered her ability to mask her emotions by using her professionalism to display her lack of personal attachment. She could put on a nice pair of black dress pants and white blouse, while pulling the outfit together with a burgundy blazer. She did her make up perfectly and curled each wave of her hair without a strand out of place. Every little detail was just the beginning of convincing anyone that she was put together and stable.

Not that at any moment she might just break into tears from exhaustion and fear.

So she used her water proof mascara that day.

Just in case.

What Riley didn't take into account was the severe amount of discomfort in maneuvering a blazer and blouse whilst having her arm in a sling. It took an extra fifteen minutes just to get the shirts on. Even with the pain killers, there was still a constant numb ache that rested on her shoulder.

But there she sat, alone in the interrogation room of the police station her fingers fidgeting, trying not to imagine the officers and her brother waiting on the other side of the one way glass. Trying not to imagine that they were analyzing her psychology, her moves, or rather stillness.

She tried to mentally prepare herself for the questions that were coming her way.

But how could she when she barely understood the situation herself.

The door knob turned, taking her attention while she watched the familiarly tall and well built man cross the distance to the other side of the table across from her, where he took a seat making himself comfortable.

"You're uhm…" she searched her mind for his name, certain that he was the man she had met at the hospital.

"Lucas Friar, detective and your brother's partner," he nodded, giving her a friendly smile extending his hand to shake.

Riley nodded, analyzing his hand for just a quick second. Her insides calmed with the softness of his voice so she extended her hand slowly grasping his hand and shaking it briefly. She finally noticed his looks for the first time since they had initially met. He was extremely attractive, tanned, his face chiselled to perfection. He had the face of someone she wanted to get to know.

"I don't know how any of this works," she said after a moment of watching him open a file her had placed on the table in front of him. He began sifting through the short stack of papers.

Lucas smiled to himself at her comment. "Understandable, this should be as painless as possible. I just want to see if you might know anything about your situation that you might not even realize that you know. I am going to ask you about your past and we are going to come up with a list of every single person from you past who might have something against you."

"Okay," she swallowed, realizing that she was about to reveal more about herself to this strange man than to anyone else she had ever known.

Lucas looked up from his papers, noting the distant look in Riley's eyes, his empathy for her getting the better of him.

"I know this isn't going to be easy, sharing so much about yourself. And I know you've seen a lot in your lifetime -"

Riley just shook her head, pressing her lips together. "You don't know what I have been through," she breathed, trying to slow her heart beat.

The two of them just stared at each other.

Two strangers.

About to share the most personal details of her life.

"You're right," Lucas agreed. "I don't know what you've been through. But I am about to. And I want to help you." Riley still appeared to be unconvinced, where Lucas sighed leaning back in his chair. He hadn't done an interrogation like this before. He looked over at the one sided window, knowing Josh was standing on the other side.

"Why don't we start out with an easy question, just your background information. Your family, tell me about your family."

Riley waited a moment, clear memories of her childhood flashing through her mind, she had to smile just barely at the sweet images.

"We're a close family, always have been. Mom, Dad, Josh, me and Auggie. The five of us, I wouldn't change a thing about them. They are everything to me. My Mom and Dad live across the city with my youngest brother Auggie who is graduating high school this year. And you know about Josh."

Lucas took notes, scribbling words down on some sort of paper.

"You grew up in the city then?"

"I've spent my entire life in the city. My grandparents live in Philadelphia, so occasionally we went there, but they would visit us all the time. We're still close."

"Can you tell me about your friends? The people closest to you besides your family?"

"Well there's Maya Hart. We've been best friends since forever, been through everything together, she's practically my sister. Middle school, high school, different colleges but the same city. She knows everything about me and vice versa.

"Then there's Farkle Minkus, I've been friends with him almost as long as I have been with Maya. I trust him completely with my life, we still work together. Farkle and Isadora Smackle are partners and they help me with my journalism.

"And then there is everyone from my past, middle school, high school, college, co-workers. How many of these people do I need to mention? This will take forever if I talk about everyone who's ever crossed my past."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, having dropped his reports soon after she began talking, while he focused on her story.

"You're right and that's not the purpose of this," Lucas agreed. "I just want to cover all of my bases. Let's move on and if you think of anyone who you think you should bring up just let me know.

"I can do that."

"Okay good. Boyfriends?"

Riley's eyes widened. "Boyfriends?" she questioned.

"Or girlfriends?" he acknowledged.

"Not what I meant," she crossed her arms.

Lucas smirked, and the questioning was beginning to feel like less of an interrogation and more of a conversation for two people getting to known one another. Except, well, he wasn't contributing much of his own details.

"Like a said, we have to cover our bases. Love affairs don't always end the way we want them too and sometimes there is crossfire."

"This is something we have to talk about?" she asked, hesitant to even begin this conversation.

"Yes," he assured her, spinning the pen between his fingers.

Riley sighed, taking in a breath.

"Well high school was very casual. I dated a guy for a while but he moved across the country to California to pursue his band."

"Name?"

"Brandon Gregory."

Lucas jotted the name down on the paper.

"My next serious relationship ended three months ago. Nick Santiago," Riley said, her heart thundering in her chest, with just the few words.

"Nick Santiago," Lucas repeated, copying the name down on his paper. "I feel like a recognize that name."

"Well you should, he was your predecessor," she muttered.

Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. Every story he heard had been a little different. Details slightly different. He never knew quite what to believe.

"He was the kindest man I ever met," she smiled to herself at the memory. The dark black short cut hair, the scruff around his chin, deep blue ocean eyes. "Nick was killed in the line of duty last March."

Riley's voice was distant, as she recalled every dreadful second of that day. Nick and Josh had been partners for almost three years at that point, and Riley had known him for almost just as long. Their attraction was undeniable, and neither of them fought it very hard either. But when Josh had shown up in her office late that Wednesday afternoon with a dark look etched on his face, he had only sorrowful news to share. The two of them cried together having both cared for the man very much.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Lucas said after a moment, tearing Riley away from her thoughts.

"Thanks," she whispered. She ha heard more than her fair share of condolences.

Lucas cleared his voice, trying to think away around the awkwardness he had created. Why hadn't he known more about his predecessor, Nick. He had heard things but they were only good things, nothing screaming about death. The new information explained so much about what he hadn't understood yet about his job and the precinct - about Josh and his distance. About how Lucas was only just beginning to learn the details of his partners life even though they had been working together for four weeks.

"Why don't we talk about your job?" Lucas suggested.

* * *

After over an hour of talking, Lucas was mentally exhausted from al lot the questions he had asked, and all the information he had taken in. Riley had to be one of the most humbly successful people he had met. Successful in a way that she didn't even know, in an unconventional way that made her stand out.

She had travelled around the world, spent time reporting news in the Middle East, and while she was still a teenager she spent time doing mission trips in South America building communities. After seeing these things, she knew that there was more that she could be doing and coming back to the United States, she could only see the corruption in corporate America.

Riley mentioned so many politicians, business people, co-workers, and acquaintances she had met along the way in her career, Lucas could only think about how lengthly the process of shortening the list was going to be.

Lucas dismissed Riley to have a coffee break before they discussed next steps watching her leave the interrogation room more than eagerly.

After a few minutes of making final notes, he followed her out to find Josh.

"Hey," Josh greeted him nearly as soon as he stepped out the door. "How do you think it's going?"

"She's been doing quite well under the circumstances," Lucas admitted. Most of the people he questioned we usually in a different situation though. They were usually on the receiving end, where he was trying to get them to admit the crime they had committed.

"Well usually she's on the other side of this too," Josh tried to explain. "She's usually the one asking the questions not the other way around, so she kinda knows how things works."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed distantly.

"I want to talk to the people she works with. The people who have access to her office. Because I still don't understand how someone was able to get that bug into her office without her noticing. And then also get into her apartment without anyone noticing either? That is the big question. Whoever this was had access."

When Lucas finished his rant out loud, he waited for Josh to add something, to at least help him make sense of every detail that didn't add up. But Josh's attention was down the hall where a man was walking up to Riley. He gave her a pleasant smile and wave, which Riley returned.

"Who's that?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know."

* * *

"Charlie?" Riley asked surprised more than anything. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to get a hold of you, and I knew your brother worked here. Word travels fast you know. I heard that you were in an accident and had to make sure you were still breathing."

She looked down at her arm held in the sling. "Definitely still breathing," she nodded.

Charlie just smiled at her. "I can see that. What happened exactly? Everyone I asked said something different."

"I just had a little run in with another car, no big deal."

"You always did downplay things, didn't you?" he went along with her explanation.

Riley smile disappeared almost just as quick as it came. "How come I haven't heard from you in so long? I thought we were still friends. After Nick died I could have really used another shoulder to cry on, and you weren't there." Her eyes were wide as she remembered all the horrible nights when she cried herself to sleep while Maya and Josh were away on their honeymoon.

"We are friends! I tried to reach you, Riley," Charlie began, placing his hand on Riley's well shoulder. "But you just ignored all my texts and calls, I just assumed you didn't want to talk."

"Didn't want to talk? You are one of my closest friends, Charlie, how can you think that? I got a new cell phone two months ago. New cell, new number."

Charlie took a step back with an amused smile. "Well now I just feel stupid. I should have known."

"It's okay," she offered him a sweet smile. "You know now."

Charlie just smiled at that brunette and nodded. "We should get some coffee sometime, catch up. What do you say?"

"Definitely. Things have been quite busy lately, and with this accident things have been kind of crazy, but I'll find some time."

"You've made quite the name for yourself haven't you?" Charlie said looking around the office.

"It might seem that way, but I'm not sure if having my face being such a public image was always such a great idea. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been if I pursued teaching like my father."

"Well sure, we all think that way. A single decision has the opportunity to change the life of so many people. Just think of how you life and everyone else's around you would have been different if you have made that decision. Where would all those people who you've impacted through your newscasts have been right now otherwise. How many of those fraudsters and criminals would have gone untouched?"

"You're really trying to cheer me up right now, aren't you?"

"Just returning the favour," Charlie shrugged, turning his attention to the two officers on the other side of the office watching them in that moment. "You have body guards now?"

Riley turned finding Lucas and Josh watched her and Charlie, and chuckling. "You remember my brother, right? He and his partner, they are not my body guards, Josh is bringing me out for lunch."

"I see," Charlie replied, as he began to collect himself, preparing to leave.

"I would invite you, but it's sort of a family affair," she replied. She looked back at the corner where Josh and Lucas were, to only see Lucas's back walking into the interrogation room again.

"I understand. I have to get back to work anyway." Riley nodded, letting Charlie put some distance between them. "It was good to see you again, and I'm glad that you're doing alright, and that you're still on your own two feet, don't let whatever happened rattle you. You're doing a lot of good in this world."

"Thanks, Charlie," Riley grinned. "It was great to see you again."

"Bye, Riley."

* * *

When Riley returned to the interrogation room with her cup of coffee, both Josh and Lucas were already waiting for her. Josh had his arms crossed, and Riley just narrowed her eyes at him in response.

"What," she asked.

"Who was that?"

Riley just chuckled at her brother's 'bad cop' impression. "That was one of my friend's, Charlie Gardner. We've been friends since college. We were both in the same program."

"You didn't mention him earlier."

"It hadn't occurred to me," she defended, mimicking his tone. "He's one of my closest friends from college but we've been out of touch for the last few months."

"He's going on this list," Josh declared, finding the pen and writing it down at the bottom of the paper.

"What why?" she asked wide eyed.

"How did he know you were here?" Lucas asked, stepping in between the two siblings.

"I don't know. He said he was looking for you," she pointed towards Josh. "I told him that you were a police officer and he was trying to find you so he could see if I was O.K."

"He's going on the list," Josh repeated, this time even more firm. "Everyone is a suspect here."


End file.
